We were lucky to catch up with Jes Weiner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jes , thanks for joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

I once booked a mural with a local pizza restaurant in my home town. I had drawn up two very different designs for my clients to choose from. The first design, however, had two color variants. Same design, different colors. So one could definitely argue that there were three different designs. My clients replied and told me they would like the second design. I arrived on site and started painting. My client stopped by a few hours into the job to see how it was progressing. It was then that I learned that I had started painting the WRONG design! When they told me they wanted the second design, they meant the second picture in the line up. They wanted the second variant of the first design! They were very gracious. They were even willing to just let me finish the current design even though it wasn’t what they originally wanted. Of course, I couldn’t let them do that. So I took a water break, and started painting over the halfway done mural, to start over on a completely different mural. Ironically enough, this turned out to be my favorite mural of my career. I even finished it ahead of schedule! I learned that I could change directions, quickly. It also felt good to give my client exactly what they wanted, regardless of our first break down in communication. Even though it turned out more than fine, obviously I never intend to make that mistake again!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been a professional muralist for nearly six years now, with having done over fifty murals since 2017. It started with a small mural on my mom’s porch, as a Mother’s Day gift. I’ve been hooked, ever since. I then started submitting my work to calls for public art. It only took a few public murals in my home town before word spread and I started booking more jobs. Small town perks!
My portfolio and reputation grew and I was able to take it with my to Kansas City. That’s where I started painting for restaurants and businesses.

One of my favorite parts of my job, and I would also say one of my strengths, would be the fact that I paint so many different kinds of murals in many different styles. I never get bored because each new one is so different from the last! If you can dream it, so far, I can paint it. I’ve painted oversized portraits, realistic Mylar balloons, giant lava lamps, geometrical patterns, graffiti style pieces, logos, landscapes, and more.

I’m a free hand muralist, which means I can work very fast! Your home or business will be back to normal (only more colorful) in only a matter of days as opposed to a matter of weeks. If you’re on a tight schedule, I’m your artist.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The resource I will share with every creative person is the Creative Pep Talk podcast with Andy J. Pizza.

Hands down, the most inspiring, yet practical advice for anyone in a creative profession.

I’ve not listened to an episode yet, that didn’t have me feeling like I could scale and paint any wall in the world. I can’t say enough good things about it. If you’re an artist, musician, author, or entrepreneur of nearly any kind, I highly recommend it. 10/10

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

Oh man, my first really large mural started with a teetering scissor lift. This mural was forty feet tall. I could feel the lift swaying with every minuscule movement I made.

I worked like that, very slowly and carefully, for two days.
And then help came to me from above. That’s not a turn of phrase. Really, a man inspecting the roof of the building I was painting called down, “that looks precarious.” I told him that I really needed a knuckle lift, but that it wasn’t in my budget. This man, looked me in the face and said “I’ve got a knuckle lift! Give me five minutes.” I kid you not, literally FIVE MINUTES later, he rounded the corner in a bucket truck with a knuckle lift and handed me the keys. I finished the 20x40ft mural in three days once I could work quickly and safely. Entrepreneurs coming together to make stuff happen. I love it.

Contact Info:

• Website: Jesweinerartist.com
• Instagram: MagicHatMuralist
• Facebook: Magic Hat Muralist
• Other: Tik Tok: @magichatmuralist

Image Credits
Jes Weiner